Waukesha County South East Avenue Construction
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Ayres provided construction observation services for the reconstruction of a half-mile of South East Avenue from Sunset Drive to Estberg Avenue in Waukesha County. The project included construction of storm sewer, water mains, and sanitary sewer laterals. Other key elements included LED street lighting, traffic signals, sidewalks, and asphalt paving. Services include construction administration and inspection, materials sampling and testing, and construction surveys.
Project challenges included reconstructing the South East Avenue/Sunset Drive intersection under traffic and replacing water main and storm sewer while keeping the old drainage and water systems active until the new systems were finished and functional. The relocation of utilities also added a layer of complexity. Drilling monotube signal pole bases in a tight urban intersection with unfavorable soil conditions also posed challenges.
With many children walking to school along this work site, safety fencing was installed along the sidewalk to keep children from straying into the work zone. Ayres staff also frequently talked to and coordinated with the school district crossing guards.
Improvements included bike lanes in each direction, stamped and colored decorative sidewalk, camera detection for the Sunset Drive intersection, and a blinking LED stop sign with overhead sign structure to improve visibility at an intersection with heavy pedestrian traffic generated by a nearby elementary school. Over 40 new pedestrian ramps needed to be installed to Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
A somewhat unusual 5-foot-wide concrete curb and gutter was used for part of the project’s bike lane to achieve a relatively compact bike lane while avoiding a joint in the middle of the bike lane, which occurs when a standard 2-foot concrete curb and gutter is used.
The road was completely closed north of the school during construction, while one lane was kept open northbound from the south end of the project to the school to allow buses to drop children off at the school.
Project Information
Client's NameDAAR Engineering, Inc.
LocationWaukesha County, WI
Primary ServiceConstruction Engineering
MarketState + Federal + Tribal
